As a result of the agency’s good matching processes, children become central members of the family and enjoy high levels of placement stability.
Ofsted, 2018
Why is fostering training important?
Fostering training is important for the foster carers who look after some of the most vulnerable and complex children. They care for children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, they need to be equipped to deal with any challenges.
The most successful foster carers are those who combine a nurturing approach with firm boundaries. The old adage “firm but fair” is something we hear a lot about our carers. This ability to provide love and warmth whilst helping children feel safe comes with knowledge and confidence.
Foster carers need to be resilient. Moreover, they need to demonstrate this resilience to the children in their care. Resilient carers build resilience in the children they care for and help them form secure attachments.
Eastern Fostering Services offers a wide variety of training and one could argue that all of the training helps carers feel equipped and therefore, more confident.
Confidence when fostering all stems from understanding the child and contextualising their behaviour. When you know they whys and wherefores, you can then create strategies and approach them confidently.
We run fostering training on all manner of topics from managing challenging behaviour to self-harm. From attachment styles and difficulties to online safety. Training might include Foetal Alcohol Syndrome or Autism, identity and culture to working with birth families.
Our carers often say that the variety of training helps them to feel confident in their role as foster carers. You can read more of what our foster carers have to say about fostering training here.
We often put interesting articles and topics for discussion on our Facebook page too, so do take a look.
Eastern Fostering Services put on specific training to help foster carers build resilience. This training helps foster carers to develop their self-awareness. Understanding your feelings and reactions is a very important aspect to successful fostering. Moreover, the training helps carers to identify worries and develop healthy, appropriate responses.
We would also say that ongoing training and development in all areas of fostering naturally helps carers to feel equipped. Therefore building their personal resilience in all areas.
Training helps build a strong and fruitful community. In the training that Eastern Fostering Services puts on, foster carers are given the opportunity to share ideas and successes. Our fostering community is an important source of support. It offers carers a safe space to explore their feelings and responses.
You can find out more about the support we offer to our foster carers here.
What training have we put on recently?
So far this year, we have held a range of training events aimed at supporting our foster carers and children. Here are some examples:
Understanding Eating Disorders
Working with children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder
First aid
Safeguarding our children online and internet safety
Conflict resolution and breakaway
Managing challenging behaviours
Care-apy
Managing challenging behaviour
Self-Harm
Safeguarding Children Level 1
Child sexual exploitation and radicalisation
Behaviour management skills
Separation and Loss
Meet the team that will be with you every step of the way
We have an excellent Fostering Support Team at Eastern Fostering Services. Not only do they support our carers 24/7/365, they also join in with all the fun bits! You’ll find them equally at home advocating for you and your children as they are strutting their stuff at the talent show, running around on the beach at one of our beach days or cycling with the children on our Forest Day out. We recognise that fostering is hard work and are always thinking of ways we can inject a little fun! We believe that fun is an important part of nurturing stable and successful fostering families. Our children and carers agree that putting the fun into fostering is important too!
What is it like to foster?
Our fostering community is happy to tell you!
At Eastern Fostering Services, we have a fantastic community of foster carers. They are warm and friendly. Moreover, they are devoted to the children in their care.
You may be wondering what it is like to foster with Eastern Fostering Services. So we asked our carers and here’s what they said.
Theresa and Paul
Essex
Having been foster carers for 9 years with another agency, we transferred to Eastern Fostering Services in 2019. The whole process was an inclusive and empowering experience. Since transferring, the support we have received is better than we could have hoped. There is always a friendly voice at the end of the line if ever they are needed. We wish we had become a part of the Eastern Fostering Services family years ago.
Paul and Denise
Suffolk
We love Eastern Fostering Services. We love the friendly, family-like feel of the organisation, while at the same time being able to trust that we will be treated in a professional manner at all times. (Balancing these two things is a real skill) We love the staff’s dedication to the children and we love the fact that we are so valued and supported as carers. We love the excellent training that we get and the outings provided for the children. And we have the best Social Worker in the world!
Jim
Essex
We’ve been with Eastern Fostering Services since we started fostering. What impressed me from the start was the pastoral care they give to foster parents. It’s not always easy to foster, but the staff are always on hand to give support and advice. They put the interests of the child first, of course, but in the context of supporting foster parents to give the best care possible in the prevailing circumstances. There’s always plenty of training. And if we’ve felt the need for any specialist help, Eastern Fostering Services have been there to provide it. We’ve also benefited from a great network with other carers in the area which Eastern Fostering Services is instrumental in supporting. Finally, they have supported our wider family, including our children, and I think that has helped us make a success of fostering (so far).
Alison and David
Cambridgeshire
We’re Alison and David. We have been part of the Eastern Fostering Services fostering community for 2 years now! We chose Eastern Fostering Services because of the excellent training programme and quality of support they offer.
Michelle and Robert
Suffolk
We have been fostering with EFS for nearly 4 years. We live in Suffolk. We have had so much support with all our placements so far. EFS are always at the end of the phone if I ever need anyone anytime.
Rachel and Will
Cambridgeshire
Eastern Fostering Service is a very friendly and small agency which means that each fostering family feels well known and cared for.
We really love our supervising social worker. She is so easy to talk to and great company, which makes the whole experience so much easier. I feel that there is nothing we cannot ask her and never feel like we are a nuisance.
Our social worker has been developing a Cambridgeshire group of carers and we meet regularly and feel like we’ve known each other for ever, (which we really haven’t). The other carers are a great support and we regularly message each other when we need help or to encourage each other.
One of the best things about Eastern Fostering Services for us as a family is how forward-thinking they are, which has meant that we were able to foster, when the local authority and other agencies may have ruled us out. Because they focus on simply finding the right match for you and your family at the right pace, it is not about sticking to a set of hard and fast rules about what does and doesn’t work.
Eastern Fostering Services provide the best wrap-around care you could ask for. I really would not want to do this challenging, but amazing thing without that high level of support
Up coming support events
We hold regular events to help people learn as much as possible about fostering. These events are often attended by our own carers as well as members of the Eastern Fostering Services’ support team. This gives you a unique opportunity to ask us about the realities of fostering.
Currently, all of our events are postponed but we will be rescheduling them soon. In the meantime, you can contact us to ask all your fostering questions.
Useful information
Before you start fostering, you’ll need to do as much research as possible. As well as reading through our FAQs, we suggest you take a look at our recommended reading list and read through the information we have provided for you. Remember you can always contact us if you have any questions.
